Making Change Together

Southside Community Meeting to be Held This Week

January 08, 2019

This Thursday, Jan. 10, the City of Tallahassee will host a meeting with Southside residents to provide updates on a variety of area projects. Beginning at 6 p.m. at the Walker-Ford Community Center, located at 2301 Pasco St., the community meeting will focus on issues previously brought forth by area residents and initiatives ranging from public safety and code enforcement to beautification and development. The community meeting is part of an ongoing informational series titled "Tallahassee In Progress," which seeks to engage residents in important projects taking place in their neighborhoods.

City Commissioners will be in attendance. The meeting's agenda includes updates from City Manager Reese Goad, Assistant City Manager Cynthia Barber and Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo.

With public safety being an expressed priority for residents, Chief DeLeo will detail current crime statistics, which are trending downward to a five-year low, and share progress on the creation of a Public Safety Campus. The proposed Public Safety Campus being planned along South Monroe Street would include community and recreational spaces, regional training facilities and public safety educational services to help police officers connect and build strong bonds with residents. Additionally, it would serve as the new headquarters of Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), housing its 410 officers and staff and allowing the department to meet current and future operational needs.

Another public safety topic will be the Neighborhood Public Safety Initiative (NPSI), which began in 2017 with pilot programs in the Griffin Heights and Greater Frenchtown neighborhoods. In 2018, it rolled out in the Bond community. This citizen-based initiative is designed to help address public safety by focusing on crime prevention and education, community beautification and community empowerment and volunteerism. Staff will provide an update on the NPSI program and detail its expansion to South City in 2019.

Details will also be provided about the Greater Bond Neighborhood First Plan. This community-driven plan recently received funding approval by the Community Redevelopment Agency Board. The plan's four priority areas include community beautification, economic development and resident empowerment, land use and neighborhood safety and crime prevention.

By building bridges, sharing information and finding collaborative solutions to neighborhood concerns, Tallahassee's Southside can become safer and stronger. Learn more at Talgov.com.